Abstract [en]

The philosopher Hypathia, who lived 370 to 415 AD, was said to possess Plato’s Brain and Aphrodite’s Body. For that time, having these features was considered as something extraordinary. Today we would not be impressed unless Plato’s Brain implies: enhanced cognition, improved or reengineered memory, improved motor systems, attention, learning, mood and affect and furthermore, Aphrodite’s Body were to be reengineered with metal arms and legs, were to be tremendously strong and insensitive to heat and cold, were to have no need for oxygen or food and could be preserved for thousands of years. Today, smart mice and cyborgs seem to be the stalking horses for an immortal human species. The scientific dream of immortality is, however, problematic from, at least, a philosophical point of view. The aim of this paper is therefore to give a critical philosophical analysis of the problems.